[geocentrism] Re: Fw: Protestants Gear up Support for California's Pro-traditional Marriage Constitutional Amendment

  • From: Neville Jones <njones@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: geocentrism@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 02:26:30 -0800

Paul,

"Wowzers" is a term used by Inspector Gadget, the children's cartoon character.

Neville.


-----Original Message-----
From: paul_deema@xxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:15:26 +0000 (GMT)
To: geocentrism@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [geocentrism] Re: Fw: Protestants Gear up Support for California's Pro-traditional Marriage Constitutional Amendment

Neville J
 
From Neville Jones Fri Sep 26 15:11:05 2008 -- you said

"Under U.S. law religious organizations cannot endorse political candidates, ..." Wowzers!


I've noted your use of this _expression_ on previous occasions and on both this and those previous occasions, your usage is at variance with my understanding of the meaning of the term. Your spelling is different from common usage thus you may be referring to something other than that which I deduce. I Googled both 'wowser' and 'wowzer' but found few references. I've reproduced the relevant parts below together with the references.

 

Would you explain just what your definition of the term(s) is/are?

Paul D

 
**********************************************************************************************
 
Wowser
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the fictional dog known as Wowser, see Wowser (TV series).
Wowsers! is also a signature _expression_ used by the cartoon character Inspector Gadget.
Wowser is a slang _expression_, most commonly heard in Australian and New Zealand English. It originated in Australia, at first carrying a similar meaning to 'lout', i.e. an annoying or disruptive person. However, around the beginning of the 20th century it shifted to its present meaning: one whose overdeveloped sense of morality drives them to deprive others of their pleasures. At this time, the term was particularly applied to members of temperance groups such as the antipodean branches of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
John Norton (January 25, 1858 - April 9, 1916), editor of Truth, claimed to have invented the word in 1899 [1] and the term was frequently used by artist and author Norman Lindsay, who fought many celebrated battles with "Wowsers" over the sexual content in his art and writing.
The Australian writer C.J. Dennis defined it thus: 'Wowser: an ineffably pious person who mistakes this world for a penitentiary and himself for a warder'.
In recent years, the term has been most often applied to morality-oriented politicians Fred and Elaine Nile and Brian Harradine.[citation needed]
Americans are likely to associate the word with H. L. Mencken:
"In the same way the Archidamian War is more interesting than the fiscal cares of the Four Hundred, and the craft of Pericles takes precedence of his abilities as tax-collector and wowser." American Mercury "The Greeks"
'Wowser' is also the word given to describe a puritanical fanatic [US English]
The etymology of the word has not been fully discovered. Norton claimed it stood for "We Only Want Social Evils Remedied"[2] but this is almost certainly a backronym.
 

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wowzer
[edit] NounSingular
wowzer
  Plural
wowzers
 
wowzer (plural wowzers)
(slang) To describe something of great interest or beauty. Something worth saying wow about.

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